This invention relates generally to golf clubs and golfing equipment. More specifically, the invention relates to a collapsible sand rake assembly which may be stored within the shaft of a golf club, and selectively extended from an upper end of the club for use by a golfer.
As most golfers know, one of the hazards encountered on a golf course is the bunker or sand trap. Golf etiquette calls for the player to fill and smooth over his footprints and depressions left in the sand after he has hit a golf ball out of the bunker.
Either the player or his caddy attends to the necessary restoration of the bunker surface, generally with a bunker rake which is left alongside each bunker. Such bunker rakes, however, have a way of disappearing on golf courses and, apart from making a proper restoration of bunker surface extremely difficult, this has added to the cost of golf course operation.
Prior measures taken to cope with the situation include the provision of cheaply constructed bunker rakes, and the development of various types of fold-up rake devices that fit within the golfer's bag and small rake heads for temporary attachment to a golf club shaft. None of these prior approaches, however, have proven to be entirely satisfactory.
For example, in addition to the fact that the cheaply constructed bunker rakes have a tendency of breaking and thus have a very limited useful life, golfers tend to take such rakes away from the bunkers in order to retrieve golf balls from waterways and like inaccessible locations. Some inconsiderate golfers fail to return the borrowed rake to its proper location near the bunker. Further, many golfers often find the golf rakes provided by the golf course to be an unwanted obstacle to play, and when needed, in an inconvenient location. With regard to the devices heretofore developed to be carried by the golfer, whether they be of the fold-up rake variety or of the attachable rake head type, many golfers have been reluctant to carry the extra equipment required in the golf bag.
Accordingly, there has been a need for a novel sand rake assembly which can be used in connection with the types of golf clubs normally employed in bunkers, and which overcomes the drawbacks of prior devices. More particularly, a sand rake assembly is needed which can be stored within the shaft of a golf club, and extended therefrom for use when needed. Additionally, a golf club with an internal sand rake is needed which permits normal use of the club when the sand rake is not employed, and which is of high quality and economical construction. Moreover, such a sand rake assembly should be provided means for quick assembly and disassembly, to minimize any inconvenience to the golfer, and also to be of such construction that the club shaft itself can be used as an extension of the rake post. The present invention fulfills these needs and provides other related advantages.